The year is 1868 & Sherlock Holmes is fourteen. His life is that of a perfectly ordinary army officers son: boarding school good manners a classical education -- the backbone of the British Empire. But all that is about to change. With his father suddenly posted to India & his mother mysteriously unwell Sherlock is sent to stay with his eccentric uncle & aunt in their vast house in Hampshire. So begins a summer that leads Sherlock to uncover his first murder a kidnap corruption & a brilliantly sinister villain of exquisitely malign intent.. . The Death Cloud is the first in a series of novels in which the iconic detective is reimagined as a brilliant troubled & engaging teenager -- creating unputdownable detective adventures that remain true to the spirit of the original books.